For Birmingham author and artist Jennifer Hallman, that desire emerged during one of the most challenging seasons of her life. When her best friend was diagnosed with cancer, Hallman wanted to find a way to bring encouragement and hope into an overwhelming situation. What started as a handful of handmade cards would eventually become a kindness movement, an award-winning children's book, and a beloved character named Mae the Hedgehog.

A Simple Gesture with a Powerful Impact

When Hallman's friend began treatment, she created forty hand-painted cards to distribute to the doctors, nurses, staff members, and strangers who helped along the journey. The cards featured colorful artwork inspired by sunrises and included messages of encouragement.

The response was immediate. People paused. Conversations started. Acts of kindness multiplied.

Instead of stopping after those first forty cards, she kept painting. Today, she has created and distributed more than 8,000 kindness cards.

When a Manuscript Appeared

As the kindness card project grew, Hallman found herself spending more time creating art and eventually opened a studio space dedicated to the work.

One evening, while reflecting on everything she had experienced, she began jotting down thoughts in her phone. Those notes slowly evolved into a manuscript.

What emerged was a children's story centered around themes of kindness, courage, belonging, and self-acceptance. That manuscript would eventually become How Mae Got Moxie.

Meet Mae the Hedgehog

Mae is a young artist hedgehog who moves to a new school and struggles with something many children—and adults—know all too well: the fear of not fitting in.

After classmates laugh at her, Mae begins hiding the parts of herself that make her unique. She tries to blend in rather than stand out, believing it will make life easier.

But in the process, she starts losing sight of who she really is.

Mae's journey reminds readers that true confidence comes from embracing who we are rather than hiding it.

A Book Built in Birmingham

One aspect of the project that Hallman is especially proud of is its deep Birmingham roots.

How Mae Got Moxie was written, illustrated, edited, published, and printed entirely in Birmingham. The project brought together local creatives, artists, editors, and supporters who believed in the book's message and wanted to help bring it to life.

Hedgehogs and Hearts

To celebrate the book's launch, Hallman created an event called Hedgehogs and Hearts at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

The event combined storytelling, creativity, and service through interactive activities including:

• A “Build Your Own Hedgehog” craft station
• Kindness card workshops
• Community art projects
• Handmade get-well cards for patients at Children's of Alabama

The goal was simple: encourage people of all ages to experience the joy of creating something meaningful for someone else.

More Than a Book

At its core, How Mae Got Moxie is about more than a hedgehog.

It's about kindness. It's about courage. It's about choosing authenticity even when it feels uncomfortable.

What began as forty handmade cards for a friend facing cancer has become a reminder that every person has the ability to make someone's day a little brighter.

Sometimes all it takes is a card, a conversation, or the courage to be exactly who you are.

And according to Mae the Hedgehog, that's where moxie begins.